Means for automatically unlocking the doors of public buildings.



T. A. STEVENSON. MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY UNIOGKING THE DOORS OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS.

APPLIOATION FILED 81513121, 1908.

Patented Feb. 2, 1909.

IN VE N T018. I J flaw/Z1072,

A TTORNE I.

-. WASHINGTON; n. c.

U D; AT

OFFICE.

. THEODORE A. STEVENSON, OF LANSING, KANSAS.

FOR AUTOMATICALLY UNLOCKING TI-IEDOORS OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 2, 1909.

Application filed September 21, 1908. SerialNo. 454,106.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LTHEoDonn A. STEVEN- SON, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Lansing, in the county of Leavenworth and State ofKansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means forAutomatically Unlocking the Doors of Pub- The principal feature of mypresent invention is means whereby the doors may be automatically openedby persons falling against 1 the same, in an attempt to escape from thebuilding.

In the accompanying drawin which illustrates the invention: Figure 1 sows an inte-' rior view of a pair of doors equipped with the invention.Fig; 2 is a vertical section on line IIII of Fig. 1. y

1 designates a door-casing, and 2 and 3 a pair of doors secured to thecasing by hinges 4 and 4 to open outwardly. Hinges 4 are provided withsprings 4 whereby door 3 is automatically thrown open when thelatch-bars are released from their keepers.

- Casing 1 is provided with an upper keeper 5 and a lower keeper 6 toreceive t e ends of the latch-bars 7; and 8, respectively. Door 2 isheld closed by a rabbeted portion 3*, on door 3, in the usual manner.Latch-bars 7 and 8 are pivotally connected to a section 9 of aecompoundlatch-lever consisting of section 9 and a section 10, pivotally securedto door 3 by screws 11 and 12, respectively,

and pivotally connected toeach other by a pin 13; Latch-bars 7 and 8extend through guides 14 15, respectively,

door 3 to-limit the upward movement of the free end of section 10, whichis normally held against pin 16 bya spring 17 in order to hold thelatch-bars inengagement with their keepers. 7

V 18 designates an unlocking-bar which engages the freeend of section 10and is consecured to door 3. 16 designates a stop-pin projecting fromnected to a bell-crank lever 19 by a rod 20. Bell-crank lever 19 ispivotally secured to one side of the door-casing and provided with a rodor cable 21, whereby it may be actuated at a point distant from thedoors for the purpose of opening the same. The unlocking-bar 18 is alsoconnected to a foot lever 22 by a connecting-rod 23 so that it may beactuated by said foot-lever which is pivoted at the threshold 24 of thedoor, it

einglocated near one side of easing 1, so that it will beout of the wayof persons passing in and out.

Section 10 of the compound lever is connected to the crank-arm 25, of arocker-shaft 26, by means of a cable 27 extending through an eye 28 ondoor 3. Rocker-shaft 26 extends transversely across the lower portion ofdoor 3, and is provided with a handle 29 extending substantially thefull length thereof, so that if a person is pushed or falls against door3,, they will contact with said handle and in pushing the same towardsdoor 3 will, through the intermediacy of the intervening mechanism,unlock the door. The unlocking bar is normally held against a stop-pin30 by a retractile spring 31, connected to said unlocking-bar and ascrew 32 projecting from the adjacent side of the casing.v I

Having thus described my invention, what 'I claim is 1. In combination,a pair of doors, a casing therefor, locking-devices on one of said doorsadapted to engage keepers on the casing, a compound lever connected tosaid lookinga foot-lever suitably connected to said compound lever foractuating the same.

2. In combination, a pair of doors, a casing therefor, locking-deviceson one of said doors adapted to engage keepers on the casing, a compoundlever connected to said locking-devices and the door carrying the same,an unlocking-lever mounted on the door-casing for actuating the compoundlever, and flexible means leading some distance from the doors foractuating said unlockinglever.

[ 3. In combination, a pair of doors, a casing devices and the doorcarrying the same, and.

therefor, locking-devices on one of said doors to said rocker-shaft W]iereby the same may adapted to engage keepers on the casing, a beactuated.

10 compound lever pivotally connected to said In testimony whereof Ial'lix my signature, locking-devices and the door carrying the in thepresence of two witnesses.

5 same, a rocker-shaft provided With a orank- THEODORE A. STEVENSON.

arm suitably connected to said compound Witnesses: lever and extendingtransversely across the g F. G. FIsoHER,

door carrying the same, and a handle secured M. COX.

